Manhunt! The Electric Computer Detective Game

Detective shows were very popular on television especially in the 60s and 70s. So it’s no surprise that detective toys were bountiful during that time as well. Like 1972’s Manhunt game by Milton Bradley.

The story in the box lid gives you a great overview of the game. It is pretty wordy, this gives you a good idea of the learning curve for Manhunt.

Now that I think about it, a lot of these board games from this era could be pretty complex. I guess that is because technology was just being introduced. People were so eager to make cool games with cool tech, they did not think about streamlining the gaming experience. Manhunt is a good example of this in action. It comes with scads of accessories. You have readout books, a scanner, handbooks and a battery operated crime computer! This is all great in practice, but lose on of these pieces and you suddenly have a less fun game.

Not pictured here is the board itself, which is surprisingly simple.

The reason this game is such a star though is the computer. Take a look at the computer in action in this YouTube video.

Manhunt Game Computer

After reading the directions I’m not sure what is harder, figuring out how to play the game or catching the criminal once you do.